


Keeper

by HeathenVampires



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, I'm sleep deprived, It is now, Modern AU, Neighbours to Lovers, She's not a cat person, The smut is in chapter 3, Vet Hiccup, and reluctant cat rescuer Astrid, and she's definitely not keeping the cat, as in animals, if thats what you're looking for, is that a thing?, not military, oh my gods they were neighbours, there will be smut, these tags are a hot mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:27:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27472747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeathenVampires/pseuds/HeathenVampires
Summary: After reluctantly rescuing an orphaned kitten and taking it to her vet neighbour, Astrid is still very insistent she's not keeping the cat. Hiccup, on the other hand... she might keep him.
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Comments: 39
Kudos: 169





	1. Chapter 1

**A new *cough* _request._ Short lil Hiccstrid thing, with six chapters planned.**

-HTTYD-

At first, Astrid couldn't hear anything over the sound of her shoes, her breathing heavy and blood pounding in her ears from exertion. She stopped to catch her breath, leaning forward with her hands braced against her knees. It was a tough uphill run, and she still had a little ways to go to reach the top. Taking a long swig from her water bottle, she almost missed the sound, small and shrill and pathetic.

She almost dismissed it, but then heard it again. Wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, Astrid ventured toward the sound. After peering around a bit in the mix of discarded drink bottles and crisp packets, she found what was making the noise.

"Where did you come from?"

Astrid asked the small, dirty ball of fur. She felt stupid for doing so, since it wasn't going to answer. Judging by the way it was struggling to move, it was injured. There was no sign of any other cats nearby, and it looked much too small to be away from it's mother. Sighing, Astrid looked around and spotted what looked like someone's lost beanie hat. Hoping it wasn't recently pissed on by some stray animal or other, she picked that up gingerly, and used it to pick up the kitten. She wasn't really a cat person, but it seemed cruel to leave the thing there when she was headed home and knew a man in her building worked as a vet.

"Come on, I know someone who can help you. One way or the other."

Jogging the rest of the way up the hill carefully, with the dirty kitten cradled in the dirty beanie, squirming and squeaking all the while, Astrid made her way down the other side of the hill and continued on to her home.

"Right, stay there a minute. I'm not going to knock on someone's door dressed like this."

Placing the kitten on top of a couple of folded tea towels in an empty shoe box, Astrid peeled off her running gear and wiped herself down with a damp flannel to take the sweat off. She'd shower once she delivered the furball. Putting on a loose, comfy hoody and some jeans, she stepped into her slippers and picked up the box, peering around to make sure none of the neighbours were looking out. They weren't meant to have pets without permission from the building owner, and she knew two of the women on the next floor down were horrible snitches who tattled all the time.

Rapping her knuckles on his door and hoping he was home, Astrid shifted from one foot to the other, willing the furball to stay quiet and not get them in trouble.

The door opened, and she was met with a pair of very confused green eyes.

"You're not Chinese food."

"No, I am Astrid. And I think this is more your area than mine."

She held up the box, and his eyes widened.

"Oh! Uh. Right. Better come in."

Astrid stepped through once invited, and there was immediately a disgruntled yowling from deeper into his flat.

"Toothless, quiet!"

His cat hissed, flicking his stubby tail up and stalking off. He chuckled, and Astrid tried to remember his name. Something Haddock...

"Ok, let's have a look what you have here. Let me just get some gloves and my bag. Is this yours?"

Astrid shook her head, watching something-Haddock dig in a cupboard, reappearing with some rubber gloves and a big medical-style bag. Once he'd put a towel down, he patted the table and Astrid put the box down. He had a look first, then reached down and very carefully picked the kitten up.

"No, I found it while I was out running. Felt mean to leave it there when I know a vet."

"Her."

"Excuse me?"

Haddock pointed to the kitten.

"It's a girl. Not always easy to tell at this age, but yeah, little girl here. No mother around?"

"Didn't see one. I figure she got left behind cus she was hurt."

He nodded to himself, holding the kitten in one hand and gently prodding around her legs with the other. The front door knocked again, and he looked down at his hands, then back to Astrid.

"Would you get that? It's paid for, you just have to bring it in."

"Sure."

Feeling kind of awkward, Astrid headed over to the door. The guy handed her the food with a grunt, then turned and left. Astrid looked at it, and saw it still had the receipt on. _Henry_ Haddock. That was it.

"Just put it over there, I'll get to it later. Mostly, this little lady is hungry and dehydrated. I have some kitten formula I can make up, but..."

"But what?"

Henry frowned.

"She is hurt, and pretty young. Are you gonna keep her?"

"No. Not a cat person. No offence."

He looked... disappointed? Sad? Astrid couldn't tell. But she didn't like seeing the look on his face. She'd much preferred his gentle smile when he was looking the kitten over.

"I don't have the _time_ to hand rear an abandoned, injured kitten, and we don't have any foster moms in the surgery right now anyway. So if you're not going to take her on, I think it would be kinder to, well, put her to sleep."

"No!"

Astrid spoke before she even realised she was going to say it, and Henry seemed surprised.

"No?"

"I mean..." Astrid let out a sigh "I have a couple of weeks off work. I guess I can take care of her until she's better. I'm not keeping her though. She can go somewhere else when she's bigger?"

Henry nodded, and Astrid saw his mouth tip back up into a lopsided smile again.

"Sure. Takes time to find a good forever home though. Alright then. I'll make up some formula and give her a little clean up. You'll have to bring her to the surgery tomorrow, I wanna give her an X-ray. No charge for that, and we'll talk about if she needs any more treatment. I'm hoping it's just a sprain that'll clear up with love and rest though."

Astrid nodded along, tempted to glare at the furball she'd just committed to caring for. He wrapped the kitten in a small, fluffy cloth, then handed her to Astrid.

"Be gentle, but she needs the warmth so hold her like this" he pulled his own hands to his chest "while I make up some formula."

"They make baby formula for cats?"

"Yep. Like humans, kittens need momma's milk or a close substitute early on. I'll have to weigh and measure her before I can be sure how old she is. At least four weeks by head shape, but that's my best guess for now."

Astrid had passively noticed her neighbour was cute, objectively speaking, with a sharp jaw and high cheekbones and those lovely green eyes... but when he was lit up with energy toward animals, Astrid found him even more attractive. She cradled the kitten to her chest and waited, before having a sudden thought.

"What if she has fleas?"

"She doesn't, I checked. But she is probably from a litter of strays, so I'll need to give her a worming treatment once she's not dehydrated and I know how much she weighs."

Astrid had another, equally gross thought.

"Is she gonna pee on me?"

"Probably. House kittens learn to use litter trays from their mother. You'll have to litter train her. I can help there, but for tonight she'll be staying in a box for warmth and you can just change her bedding."

She grimaced.

"Lovely."

Henry chuckled.

"You'll get used to it, and cats are naturally pretty clean. Generally, they _want_ to use a litter box, cus it contains the mess."

He left to go and make up the formula, and Astrid heard him talking to his own cat.

"Don't get jealous now! It's my job, you know this."

"It can't be the first time he's had to share. I've seen you sneak critters in before."

Astrid called out, and Henry stuck his head out with a sheepish smile.

"Shhhh. Secret. And yeah, that's _why_ he's jealous. He knows when a waif or stray appears, I'll be more busy. He wants _all_ my attention, don't you buddy?"

Toothless huffed, but then resumed rubbing his head against Henry's leg, purring away to try and get his undivided attention. Henry chuckled, disappearing back into the kitchen for a minute and returning holding a little kitten-sized bottle. He tested it against the inside of his wrist like a baby bottle, then handed it over to Astrid.

"Why me?"

"You gotta learn some time, this is how she needs to be fed. Now, turn her forwards, she needs to be belly down."

His hands were warm as they covered and guided hers, until the kitten was in position and the bottle was on it's way. He showed her how to hold the bottle right, and then let go. She sort of missed it. Especially since she was nervous, waiting for the damned furball to latch on to the bottle. Finally, she did.

And despite herself, Astrid was relieved. It was sort of cute. Only sort of though.

"So, what are you gonna call her?"

Henry asked, and Astrid frowned.

"Nothing. I'm not keeping her, so no point."

Henry grinned.

"We'll see."

* * *

Toothless was grumbling still, but he'd stopped hissing when Astrid and her kitten came over, so Hiccup called that progress.

"Stop chewing my hair you little pest!"

Astrid's voice was sharp, and Hiccup had to stifle a laugh as he went to see what was going on. All cleaned up, gaining weight thanks to her bottle feeds, and developing a personality very swiftly, the grey British Shorthair kitten was trying to gnaw on the end of Astrid's braid. The X-Ray he'd taken had come back clear, and within two days of formula and slightly begrudging care from Astrid, the kitten had perked right up.

"Give her here, I'm gonna weigh her and see if she's ready to start weaning. That should help the biting, since she'll be able to chew her food."

With little scratches on her hands and forearms, Hiccup could have identified "kitten owner" on Astrid a mile away even without the grey hairs sticking to her t-shirt. They had sharp claws and took time to learn to retract said claws, so scratches and nips were commonplace. Astrid had been caring for the little one for just over a week, and Hiccup had been right about the age but she needed to be heavy enough to move on to weaning.

"Looking good! I have some of the right stuff for weaning, we'll see if she goes for it. If not, you should put her formula in a bowl for a couple of feeds and then offer her wet food again."

Astrid nodded along, perching herself on his sofa. Hiccup was quite enjoying getting to spend so much time with her, if he was honest. He'd noticed her the day she moved in - athletic, cheeky and _beautiful,_ with golden blonde hair and wide blue eyes, she was simply stunning to look at. And despite her insistence she was not a cat person, Hiccup would bet good money that the kitten he was holding was never going to get rehomed. All he had to do was convince Astrid to name her. As well as lovely to look at, Astrid also turned out to be whip-smart, with a biting sarcasm and a wicked sense of humour that Hiccup couldn't deny he was quite charmed by.

Her kitten went right for the wet food, so much so that Hiccup had to pull it away so she wouldn't eat too quickly. He chortled at the enthusiasm, rubbing his finger on top of her fluffy grey head. Astrid was watching them, curious look on her face.

"What are you thinking?"

"Just that I've never known such an... _affectionate_ guy. But then, I am not a cat. Maybe if I wear cat ears someone will pet my hair like that too."

Hiccup debated _offering,_ but didn't want to make things awkward when Astrid was reliant on him for kitten-rearing advice, and he was already a little attached to the kitten himself and wanted to keep seeing her, so very proud to see the abandoned orphan come on in leaps and bounds.

"Soooo... _Hiccup_ " Astrid still found his nickname comical "what made you decide to be a slightly illegal vet who smuggles in animals and supplies?"

He laughed at her words. It was a rather apt description.

"Runs in the family. My mom is also a vet, though she specialises in exotics. And on the side, in illegal pets. She does her best to make sure people don't have pets that shouldn't be _pets,_ like idiots who keep tigers in their back garden, but doesn't automatically report it if she thinks the animal is happy and healthy and safe. She had a pet owl, and I don't mean a little snowy owl like Hedwig."

Astrid blinked a few times, then shook her head.

"Of course it runs in the family. What does your dad do? Is he working on making Jurassic Park a reality?"

Hiccup snorted.

"No. My mom would probably love to do that, but my dad isn't _as_ big on animals. They're divorced, but still friends. She used to drive him _spare_ coming home with all sorts of creatures she couldn't treat at work. She moved on to conseravation work eventually, so she travels helping people with endangered populations."

He found himself smiling fondly at the memories, growing up fascinated by all the different reptiles and birds people had smuggled in to the UK. It was little wonder he ended up in the same line of work.

Fed and squeaking for attention again, Hiccup picked up the kitten and rubbed her back and belly gently to check there was no trapped air. After a little burp, she was happy to totter around on the table again.

"Have you been litter training?"

"Trying. She keeps shitting _next to_ the tray."

"Huh. What are you using? Sounds like she knows what the tray is for, but doesn't like the litter you're using."

Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Of _course_ she's fussy about the turd tray. Typical."

"On the plus side, you don't have to walk her for every bathroom trip like a puppy."

Hiccup picked the kitten up and returned her to her owner, whether Astrid acknowledged it or not yet. The kitten certainly seemed to know it, curling herself up in Astrid's hand and mewling loudly until Astrid reluctantly stroked her.

"Here's some wet food and different litter. Make sure she has lots of water, and change her litter as soon as you get back. Otherwise, keep her warm and stop her climbing up things she'll fall off and I'll see you tomorrow for a check up."

He had a bunch of promo packs, so Astrid could do some trial and error.

The next day, she returned in a much better mood, and let him know that swapping the litter had worked. Now the kitten was no longer messing up the floor repeatedly, Astrid was much happier it seemed.

"Stormfly, I swear if you don't stop trying to eat my hair I'm taking you back where I found you!"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at that, and Astrid looked up at him with a shrewd expression.

"Don't you smirk at me."

"What? I just noticed you'd named her is all."

"Shut up. I'm still not keeping her, but shouting _cat_ all the time made me sound dumb."

"Why Stormfly?"

Astrid shrugged.

"It was the name of a dragon in a book I read as a kid. Just... what I picked. Does it matter?"

Hiccup shook his head, smiling to himself. He was glad they were bonding. Astrid watched him as he took Stormfly to weigh and measure, noting it all down on a chart. Toothless leapt up on to the table, and Hiccup prepared to seperate the two - Stormfly might have a spunky attitude, but Toothless was four times the size of her at the minute. But his worries were for nothing - Toothless gave the kitten a sniff, then began grooming her. Stormfly seemed very unsure about that, but didn't try and fight him off.

"Aww, they're making friends!"

Astrid rolled her eyes again.

"Stop it. I'm not keeping her. You're welcome to have her."

"No no, it's you she likes!"

After tolerating the grooming for a couple of minutes, Stormfly pried herself away from Toothless, fur on the back of her head sticking up comically as she scampered across the table and leapt over to Astrid. Astrid yelped in pain as claws gripped her tight, but she still caught and held Stormfly.

"Pain in the butt. What do you want?"

Hiccup watched her quietly, wondering if Astrid even noticed she was smiling a little whenever she looked down at Stormfly. He went to get a washcloth to clean her fresh kitten scratches, and Astrid looked up at him with that same small smile on her face when he was tending to her wounds. Stormfly kept trying to lick them, which was sweet but not so hygienic.

"All better."

"Thanks. For everything. I know you can get in trouble for some of what you've done."

Hiccup nodded.

"Yeah. Don't tell on me."

Astrid winked, and Hiccup felt his belly fizzle pleasantly.

"Your secret is safe with me."

As she bunded Stormfly up to sneak out with her again - insisting there was no point getting permission from the building owner because wasn't keeping Stormfly - Astrid turned back toward him. He thought she was going to say something, but then she turned away and reached for the door in silence.

Hiccup, on the other hand, apparently couldn't shut up.

"Uh, Astrid?"

She halted, turning back toward him.

"Yeah?"

"Uh. You can say no. But uh, well... would you like to go for a drink sometime? Or coffee? Or tea? Sorry, I'm babbling. Ignore me."

He'd figured since Stormfly was on track to not need specialist care anymore, he could take the risk, and then realised Astrid wasn't going to be interested in an awkward, babbling vet who-

Oh. She was talking. And _smiling._

"I'd like that."

-HTTYD-

**They going on a daaaaaaate!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I find it funny how it seems almost everyone is more invested in the cats than the humans.**

-HTTYD-

"Hey there Stormfly!"

Hiccup said as the little grey kitten squealed up at him, leaping up and digging her claws right in to his jeans in an attempt to climb her way up. He reached down and scooped her into his hands, saving his shirt from the same treatment. He'd just gone over to meet Astrid for their _date_ (because somehow, Astrid had agreed to go out with him!), and of course that meant Stormfly wanted some attention. He smiled as he saw how she was gaining weight steadily, and she clearly had bags of energy for bounding around.

"I think she knows I'm going out, she's been pestering me for the last hour!"

Astrid called out as she returned from getting her jacket, and Hiccup admired just how very pretty she was. She had on a short-sleeved red t-shirt that displayed her muscled arms, and a brown skirt with a little skull on her belt. The jacket she pulled on was immediately treated to a light dusting of cat hair when Stormfly leapt from Hiccup's hands to Astrid's shoulder.

"Pain in the ass cat. Yes, we're going out without you. I defintely don't trust her, I'm gonna come back and she'll have chewed something or taken a shit somewhere secret."

Hiccup couldn't help laughing.

"Once she's a little bigger and they've had a little more time to get to know each other, you can leave her at my place with Toothless. My place is cat-proofed."

Astrid tsked.

"Well, I'm not keeping her, so it doesn't matter. Once she's healthy enough, she's going to find some forever home."

Biting back a smile, Hiccup debated pointing out that even _if_ Astrid rehomed Stormfly, which he doubted she would, then she'd still have a cat in her life if they continued dating as he had Toothless. But he opted not to, as he worried it would have come across him being a little overly certain when they hadn't even gone on a date yet.

"We won't be long Stormfly, take a nap."

Hiccup gave her a few more little head-pets, and Astrid carefully pried the little kitten off her jacket, placing her down in a pile of blankets that seemed to be serving as her cat bed.

"Sleep, you irritating little pest."

She grabbed a lint roller from the side - a wise investment for any pet owner - and cleaned the cat hairs off her jacket before they started leaving. Stormfly was _not_ happy about being left behind, it seemed, as she made a break for the door the second it opened. Hiccup managed to grab her before she escaped into the building, but the little grey kitten was most displeased about that and grumbled all the way back to him putting her down in her bed.

"Stay here, or you'll hurt yourself getting stuck in the door."

Stormfly's only response was to yawn right up at him, and Hiccup chuckled as he turned around and headed back to the door. They managed to get out without a furry companion that time, and Astrid sighed audibly.

"I bet she's gonna have made a mess in revenge. Come on, let's get going."

They were only going out for coffee, because Astrid informed him she never went for alcohol on a first date, which apparently put quite a few men off from going through with said date. Obviously, they could have had coffee in their homes, but going 'out' gave it a distinctly more date-like feel. And inviting someone on a first date to his home seemed... presumptive? Even though Astrid was in his flat more or less every day since Stormfly came into their lives.

Once she was fully weaned, Hiccup was definitely gonna smuggle her some little kitten-safe treats as a thank you for her being such a good wingman.

Astrid looked him up and down as they walked, and Hiccup felt quite aware of her gaze.

"What? Did I miss a spot shaving?"

"No. I was just thinking I can't remember the last time I saw you without a cat in your hand. And then I was thinking you look good. I like your jacket."

Hiccup smiled. He liked his black leather jacket too, it was sturdy and he'd had it a couple of years already, but it still looked pretty much new since he cared for it well.

"Thanks. You look lovely, by the way."

Astrid returned his smile, wide and happy and enough to give him butterflies in his belly.

"Thank you."

They headed along the street, talking comfortably - they'd hung out so much, and given the introduction of _"help me with this stray kitten!"_ that worked as a great ice breaker, there was no real awkwardness or uneasiness between them. Once they made it to the cafe, Astrid oohed over the cake and biscuit selection, selecting one to order alongside her oversized coffee with a ludicrous amount of cream and sprinkles on the top. Hiccup felt a little boring with his tea, but he had spotted a tasty looking bun and added that to his order. They picked a table and sat down to wait for their drinks to be brought over, conversation inevitably turning to their furry companions back home.

"So, are you more of a cat or a dog person?"

Astrid asked, using a spoon to scoop the rainbow-dotted cream off the top of her drink and eat it. Hiccup bit back a laugh when she got a little on her nose, which only made her look even cuter.

"I love all animals. Except seagulls. They're evil little buggers who steal your chips at the seaside!"

Astrid laughed, nodding in agreement.

"True. I would fist fight a seagull for the chips they had the last time I was down by the coast. Mmmmmm."

She stared off wistfully while Hiccup snickered over the image of her taking on a seagull in a fight, before Astrid turned back and took a bite out of her cookie.

"So, aside from your fighting seagulls over deliciously fried potato, are you an animal lover?"

"Sure. Just not big on cats. Or seagulls."

Taking a long sip of his tea now it was no longer the temperature of molten lava, Hiccup hummed.

"People and cats are a lot alike, you know. Prickly, wary of people they don't know or trust. But if you're very nice to them, and respect their space until you've gained their trust, then the next thing you know they are sat in your lap purring like crazy."

Done eating the pile of cream and sprinkles, Astrid took a big gulp of coffee before she answered.

"And how many _people_ have you had in your lap, purring?"

Laughing to himself, Hiccup shrugged.

"Now now, a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell. I have lost count of how many cats have taken up residence in my lap though. And dogs. And ferrets. And guinea pigs. And... well, you get the idea."

Giggling around a mouthful of cookie, Astrid held a hand up to bid him to wait for her to swallow, washing it down with coffee before she turned back to him.

"Are you bragging about all the creatures that have loved you?"

"Yes. It's good for my job, really, if animals like me. Much better than a pissed off chihuahua hiding under the table because they hate getting their shots. Or a parrot making a bid for freedom because the door opened at the exact moment you had to turn to the side to get new gloves after they ripped the first ones. It was all part of a cunning plan, I'm sure."

He was thrilled to see Astrid so lit up with laughter, wondering if it was simply that she hadn't had time to get bored of his vet anecdotes yet. Time would tell, he supposed. For now, he was going to enjoy her eyes sparkling with amusement, her cheeks pink and her mouth stretched wide with laughter.

"So you don't just do like, cats and dogs?"

"No. I'm not an avian vet specifically, but my mom specialised in exotics and so I grew up around birds and reptiles. I can take care of _most_ household pets, and have the details of people who specialise in other stuff like... livestock, or fish, or tigers."

"You don't wanna get those mixed up. Imagine a guy expecting a goldfish and in comes an adult lion."

Hiccup snickered at Astrid's imagination, and the images conjured up. Even _he_ would be surprised if a big cat appeared when he was expecting a puppy or something. Astrid downed the last of her coffee, then glanced at her phone to check the time.

"We can hang out when we get back, but I don't want to leave the little pest for too long."

"Aww, do you miss her?"

She rolled her eyes and nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, Hiccup laughing to himself as he dodged her.

"No. I just don't want to go home and find she's done a shit somewhere in revenge for being abandoned, since she feels entitled to a hundred percent of my time. Even when I'm sleeping!"

"Oh, does she sleep on your bed?"

"Not by choice. I put her in the living room and she screams at my door until I let her in. So I got her a cat bed for in there, and she has _never_ slept in it."

Keeping his joking quips about how attached and kitten-whipped Astrid already _clearly_ was, he grimaced at the last gulp of cold tea before they got up, taking cups and plates back to the counter and heading back outside. They hadn't been in there long, but it had never felt stiff or awkward, and Astrid had already said they could keep hanging out when they got back. So that was good, right?

They headed right back to hers, and there was a little trail of destruction in the form of cat toys strewn all over the floor and cushions knocked off the sofa, leading all the way to Stormfly looking _very_ sweet having curled up on top of Astrid's washing basket for a nap.

"I guess trashing the place was absolutely exhausting."

Hiccup did his best not to laugh, but failed miserably at how adorably irate Astrid was.

"It's quite impressive she can jump up and down off the sofa."

"Don't you take her side!"

Astrid crossed her arms, pouting. Hiccup cracked up laughing all over again, and he caught Astrid's lips twitching as she fought a smile.

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything! Do you wanna come over to my place and she can trash _my_ living room instead?"

She contemplated Hiccup for a minute, before she stretched up and kissed him square on the mouth. Stunned, Hiccup could only blink in surprise as Astrid pulled back, grinning.

"Sounds good."

Moving to get the blanket she smuggled Stormfly through the building corridors in, Astrid left Hiccup still staring at her until his brain woke back up.

"Uh, what was that for? Not that I'm complaining!"

Giggling heartily even as she wrangled her complaining kitten into the blanket of secrecy, Astrid winked at him.

"Thought I'd skip right over the whole 'was the date okay' conversation, and _show_ you it was. Come on, you have the good coffee."

With Stormfly under one arm, Astrid used the other to grab Hiccup by the hand, and led him out of her flat. They stilled so he could close her door behind them, and then continued to hold his hand all the way to his front door.

He definitely owed Stormfly some treats.

-HTTYD-

**Astrid: *exists with kitten***

**Hiccup: "Yes, excellent. That's exactly what I wanted!"**


	3. Chapter 3

**Had a couple of commissions that ate up a surprising amount of time, and now back to this!**

-HTTYD-

Hiccup wondered if Astrid knew how adorable she was, and how much she'd mind him pointing it out. She was laid with her head on his lap, occasionally letting out sweet little sighs as Hiccup stroked her hair. Toothless was curled up next to him, having finished glaring that Hiccup was giving _his_ pettings to someone else! And Stormfly, after a nice dinner of mushy wet food, was curled up on the back of the sofa, tail occasionally flicking in her sleep.

"See? Nobody can resist the lap of petting."

Astrid snorted, shoulders shaking a few times with laughter.

"Yeah, except when you say that, you forget to add that most of the occupants have had four limbs and a fur coat."

"I'll get you a fuzzy blanket and you can probably do a passable crawl. Oh, and I'll get you some cat ears. Would you prefer wet or dry food?"

Astrid poorly disguised her amusement, and then attempted to glare up at him. The venom in it was lessened by how adorable she was with slightly ruffled hair and her head still in his lap.

"I will bite you."

"That's nothing new to me, that's a daily hazard for me at work. And at home, when Toothless is in a mood. Luckily, he is named for a distinct lack of pointy things in his mouth. You're more at risk there, kitten teeth are razor sharp!"

Astrid held up a hand, little nicks and scratches evident on them.

"Yes, I am aware. How long until _that_ goes away?"

"She should start losing her baby teeth at three months, but usually takes another four or five months for her to have all her adult teeth. Which are stronger, but slightly less like tiny blades. The kitten teeth are sharp to help them push through, but the adult ones basically come through the same hole and don't need to be _as_ sharp."

Astrid sighed audibly, shaking her head as best she could.

"That's what I get for dating a vet, answers like a textbook."

Hiccup snickered.

"I've never read a veterinary textbook that referred to a cats baby teeth as 'teeny, tiny swords', but that's what my mom called them. I'll get you some repellant to treat your wires, if she's still at the constant biting stage."

Stormfly, seeming aware she was being discussed about even in her sleep, woke up with a _very_ adorable kitten yawn, stretching before she spotted Astrid and jumped down on to her.

"What do you want?"

Completely ignorant of Astrid's upset at little clawed paws landing on her hip, Stormfly searched for a spot before burrowing into it, making herself quite at home curled up against Astrid's belly and going right back to sleep. Hiccup did his best not to laugh, and failed epically.

"See if you get lucky tonight!"

That only made him laugh harder, because Astrid looked so genuinely indignant.

"I think technically, you can only withhold sex from someone you're actually having it with."

Astrid huffed before sitting up - Hiccup noticed she did her best not to disturb Stormfly sleeping - and getting off the sofa.

"Yeah, well, see if that changes then!"

Hiccup continued to chortle to himself as Astrid headed off to the bathroom, patting down her ruffled hair when she caught sight of it in the glass door of the cupboard in the living room. He ran his eyes down Astrid's body and was happy to admit to himself he certainly wouldn't _mind,_ but they'd only been dating a couple of weeks and he wasn't the sort to rush into it. And the idea of Astrid pouting and refusing sex because he found her sleeping kitten cute was _highly_ amusing to him. Stormfly mewled up at him, so Hiccup gave her a few little scratches behind the ears. She rolled onto her back and began the feared kitten-attack, cute little paws digging sharp nails into his hands as she tried to chew on his fingers with those _sharp_ little teeth.

"Hey! None of that, you furry little bear trap."

Extricating his hand, Hiccup managed to get away with only minor war wounds from Stormfly, and distracted her with a couple of kitten treats. Naturally, the rustling of the bag got someone _elses_ attention, and Toothless yowled indignantly at the idea he wasn't getting treats too. As they were soft and easy to chew, Hiccup gave his own furball a few too. Astrid returned from the bathroom, observing the scene before her.

"Having fun?"

"Yep. I did get up close with her teeth though, I need to go wash my hands."

Once he was done, he looked at the clock and then headed back out to Astrid.

"It's getting on a bit, you staying for dinner?"

"I never say no to your cooking."

Hiccup grinned. He liked cooking, and he liked sharing food. It was a family thing, he supposed - they had a lot of family get together meals when he was growing up, and it was rare that he and his parents went a whole day without sharing at least _one_ meal, even if it was take-out in front of the TV when they were all tired. So he was thrilled Astrid was happy to come over for food so often, and insisted he really didn't mind doing it.

"Awesome. I'm gonna have to close the door for a few minutes, cus I'll be cutting up raw meat and it's tough keeping furry little paws off of it."

"I'll do my best to keep these two alive for those few minutes."

Chuckling, Hiccup turned back to the kitchen, closing the door behind him and pulling out some chicken from the fridge. He knew Astrid liked pretty much anything protein, as she worked out regularly. Once he'd spiced some vegetables and pre-heated the oven, he put everything in and cleaned up, then went back out to find Astrid watching the TV, and since Stormfly had already charmed Toothless, she was curled up next to him and both were napping again. Hiccup sat on the free spot on Astrid's other side, smiling when she slipped her fingers through his and they sat holding hands to watch whatever was on the screen. He wasn't especially fussy; he just liked being around her. She made him smile, made him laugh, and her pretty features made his belly flutter pleasantly. Astrid was _fierce,_ but sweet.

And he knew she was secretly fond of Stormfly, spotting her giving the kitten little smiles and indulgent tickles when she thought Hiccup wasn't watching.

He got up to check on dinner after a while, and when it was done they had to shut Stormfly in a cat carrier, much to her (audible) displeasure, as she wasn't quite old enough to understand she wasn't allowed the people food. She settled down after a while, and bounded out happily when plates were cleared and loaded into the dishwasher (yes, Hiccup knew it had been a frivolous purchase to some, but he worked long weeks sometimes and it was a life-saver!).

"I'm stuffed! If she jumps on my belly again I will explode."

Because Stormfly had been seperated from her mother too soon, she'd put Astrid in that spot and so she liked to do things like knead at her belly for warmth and comfort, which kittens often did to mother cats to encourage milk flow. It was a sweet, affectionate thing... but not so comfortable when one had just had a hearty meal. Thankfully for Astrid, Stormfly was content with stealing warmth from her lap, which kept Astrid pinned in place by the sleepy grey ball of fluff. Spotting Hiccup smiling at the adorable picture they made, Astrid raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just think it's sweet, and it shows you've taken great care of her that she's healthy, hitting her milestones pretty much on time" a little delay after her orphaning was normal "and she obviously adores you."

Astrid hummed, then shifted carefully and laid her head on Hiccup's shoulder before settling. Hiccup smiled to himself as she took his hand again, resting between their laps that were both occupied by their respective pets, as Toothless had obviously decided Stormfly's approach to cosiness that evening was a great idea.

They stayed that way for a while in a comfortable silence, only moving when Toothless got up for a drink and Stormfly bounded after him. Hiccup kept an eye on the two in case of fighting, but as she got bigger and cheekier, he was increasingly certain Stormfly could handle herself in a scrap. Especially since Toothless was, well, toothless. Once they were free to move, Astrid nudged Hiccup to lean against the arm of the sofa, and she laid between his legs with her head on his chest. It was quite delightful, if he was honest, even more so when Astrid hummed lightly as he resumed stroking her hair like he had earlier.

Hiccup sort of lost track of how things moved along; Astrid turning and stretching up to kiss him was a pleasant surprise, but Hiccup wasn't sure when that shifted from a sweet kiss to her straddling his lap, one hand buried in his hair and sweet little sounds leaving her mouth between increasingly heated kisses. He felt himself start to harden (with _Astrid_ in his lap, squirming and moaning weakly, it was really quite impossible for him _not_ to), and with how Astrid was seated atop his lap, it was highly unlikely that she wouldn't have noticed.

Apparently, though, they'd neglected _someone_ for too long, and Stormfly managed to wriggle in between them. They pulled apart, breathing a little heavier than before, and there was a pretty flush on Astrid's cheeks. She looked down at her kitten, then rolled her eyes.

"Do you mind?"

Stormfly let out an indignant meow at her in response, tail flicking and tickling the underside of Hiccup's chin. He chuckled, tickling Stormfly in return.

"Kittens are clingy. You're obviously giving me too much attention in her mind."

With Astrid still sitting on him, his erection was also demanding some attention, but they'd been a little bit... cat-blocked.

"Pain in the ass furball. I'm busy here."

Hiccup figured he had little to lose with how... _close_ Astrid was, and looked up at her.

"We can always put a door between us and her?"

Astrid raised an eyebrow, but her mouth soon tipped up in to a smirk he rather liked the look of.

"Good idea. Your place or mine?"

"Uh. Yours? Toothless is better being left alone for a while than Stormfly, and we can separate them so they won't fight."

Nodding, Astrid let out a sigh before climbing out of his lap with visible reluctance. Hiccup followed suit, getting up to go and top up his cat's water bowl and fetching a catnip toy to keep Toothless happy while Astrid wrangled her kitten into the blanket for smuggling her through the building. Still insistent she wasn't keeping her (though Stormfly wasn't far off being rehoming age by then), Astrid still insisted there was no point getting permission to have a pet.

He followed Astrid and her squirming bundle of fabric through the halls, locking his door behind them and waiting for her to unlock hers the other side. Getting into her bedroom without Stormfly breaking in was a tough ask - kittens her age weren't bothered about catnip yet, because they couldn't really smell it - but they managed it, though it did include some audible complaints that made Astrid roll her eyes.

"She'll go find something to play with soon, kittens haven't got a long attention span."

"Mmm. I'll take your word for it. C'mere."

Astrid pulled him back against her, arms looping up around his neck as she kissed him. Hiccup let his hands settle at her waist, small against his big hands but he could feel the muscles in her stomach flexing under his thumbs. They moved to the bed before long, and Hiccup dimly noticed Stormfly had stopped yelling at the door, wondering what chaos they'd find when they left the room before the warmth of Astrid's body pressing against his pushed most thoughts from his mind.

He wasn't one to _assume,_ generally, but Hiccup certainly didn't feel discouraged from thoughts of where things might lead when Astrid slipped her hand beneath his waistband to grab a handful of his backside, which he immediately discovered was quite sensitive and so it was a surprisingly pleasant sensation.

"Has anyone ever told you you have a great ass?"

How she expected coherency from him when she'd just kissed sense clean out of him, Hiccup had no idea, but managed to form a short response.

"Uh, no?"

"Well, you do. You're pretty lean, so it's a surprise. I like it."

He knew he was lean, but wasn't concerned about it when Astrid seemed perfectly happy with what she saw when looking at him. Hiccup was _definitely_ happy with what he saw when looking at her, even more so when her cheeks were flushed red and she was looking up at him through hooded eyes, somehow appearing even more tempting when she bit her lip. After slipping her hand free, she rolled the two of them over and pinned Hiccup down, which he was neither surprised nor disappointed about.

"Hm. I should have taken your shirt off before, woulda been easier."

It was a little awkward in their current position, but Hiccup's t-shirt was gone before long all the same and he tingled happily as Astrid's hands roamed his bare chest, tickling slightly when exploring just below his ribs before she tweaked his nipple and smirked when Hiccup gasped against her lips. When he pushed at the hem of her top, Astrid straightened up and stripped out of it before leaning back down to claim his mouth.

Her hips made subtle rocks, grinding clothed groins together but even _that_ turned him on more, feeling Astrid rut against his cock like a teasing promise of what else could happen. A part of him wondered if it would ruin the mood for him to joke how she'd said _that_ wouldn't happen only a couple of hours earlier, but he feared appearing presumptuous and so opted to let things continue naturally. If she wanted to go no further than they were going now, he was fine with that. Though he'd probably have had to excuse himself to the bathroom for a few minutes...

"Is this ok?"

Astrid's whispered words confused him briefly; though Hiccup had never felt forced into anything sexually, he wasn't sure anyone else had ever _asked,_ though he knew he himself had done so plenty of times. Feeling touched and warm inside, Hiccup nodded, hand moving to cup her cheek as Astrid leaned in to kiss him again. She smiled against his mouth, nodding her own assent when Hiccup's fingers meandered over her back before brushing the back of her bra. She actually giggled - a lovely sound all by itself - when Hiccup managed to undo the clasp blindly with one hand, but he'd always been good with his hands. He put it down to drawing and tinkering with his bicycle through his childhood. Either way, he'd never had a _complaint_ about them.

Her bra was forgotten before it even hit the floor once Astrid tossed it aside, the heat of her bare breasts against his chest sending fresh waves of arousal through him. Playful touches soon became more intentional, and the sounds Astrid made when his hands were on her were _incredible,_ leaving him feeling pretty flushed himself as she ground against him harder in response.

He was disappointed when she pulled away, but that faded when Astrid tugged the knotted string on his lounging bottoms loose before getting up to undo her own button and zipper, shimmying out of her shorts as Hiccup eagerly wriggled out of his bottoms. Tugging his socks off too, Hiccup let his eyes take in Astrid's mostly-bare body while she was standing. Her love of exercise was evident in the toned muscle covered by lightly freckled skin, slender but with a curve to her hips he already knew his hands fitted in perfectly, covered only with a pair of dark blue briefs he vaguely remembered her bra had matched.

"See something you like?"

At ease in her body, Astrid was smirking when he finally dragged his eyes back up to her face. He gave a rapid nod.

"Have you _seen_ you?"

"You're not so bad yourself. Nice boxers."

Hiccup looked down, and couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't expected anyone else to _see_ his underwear that day, so he was wearing some daft Valentines Day ones with hearts on that he'd had for a couple of years, having bought them after the day on sale because they were in his size. It could have been worse, he supposed. And Astrid seemed amused rather than deterred by the ridiculous boxers. A few of the hearts patterned over the fabric were distorted from straining over his erection, which also seemed to have grabbed Astrid's attention.

"Does that mean you want me to keep them on?"

"That's up to you, I'm not gonna push you into it."

He hooked his thumbs under the waistband and slipped them down, admittedly a little nervous as most were with a new partner, but Astrid seemed entirely happy with the reveal, and shucked her own underwear before she rejoined him on her bed. He could feel she was wet when their bodies pressed together with no fabric to hide it, the knowledge he'd turned her on making Hiccup a little dizzy. Her fingers curled around his cock, squeezing lightly before stroking him, watching his face for responses. It was a heady thing, to be so intently focused on by the blonde goddess straddling his thigh, feeling her arousal dampen his skin when his hips flexed upward to thrust into her grip. She looked down at where her hand gripped tight, face a little pensive.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh. Nothing, just mentally measuring to make sure I have condoms that'll fit you if we end up needing one."

That possibility seemed increasingly unlikely as Astrid continued to touch him, leaving Hiccup feeling as though he'd come any second if she didn't _stop._

"I-I have some at my place."

"It's fine, I've got some and you're just right."

She winked, squeezing him again and Hiccup grunted, reaching down to still her hand. Astrid frowned, letting go immediately.

"Something wrong?"

Panting, Hiccup shook his head.

"No no. Very not wrong. _Too_ not wrong. Wait, that sounds wrong. Too good."

Letting out a chuckle, Astrid nodded.

"Gotcha. But I would have waited, you seem like you're good for more than one round."

Trying to catch his breath and calm down a little, Hiccup thought about how much Astrid seemed to like being on top of him and had an idea, shifting down the bed a little before he looked up at her face.

"I can always offer you a seat."

"You just... _oh."_

Astrid cottoned on pretty quick, and was more than agreeable. Gripping her headboard with one hand, she followed his guiding until she knelt over his face. Oral sex was one of Hiccup's favourite things, and he wasn't too fussy on the position. He kissed her inner thigh, tasting her there in the wetness on her skin before he followed it to the source, tongue sliding along the length of her slit. Astrid let out a deep, happy sigh, the hand not on her headboard tangling into his hair. Musky and a little sweet, he eagerly continued, spurred on by her moans and the way her thighs twitched around his head, the way her fingers tightened in his hair when he sucked her firm clit between his lips. When she panted _"up a bit"_ he complied, and was rewarded by her swearing quite colourfully.

His cock throbbed and leaked against his stomach, Astrid's responses turning him on like nothing else as she pressed down, riding his tongue, guiding with increasingly breathy words. Honestly, he was a little disappointed when she halted him, but her voice as she said she wanted to come on his cock was almost enough to finish him there and then. She stretched over to her bedside table, retrieving a wrapped condom from the drawer and offering it to him.

"You wanna be on top?"

Astrid surprised him by shaking her head, turning as she moved from her kneeling position so she could lay down on her back, reaching down on the other side of her bed for a cushion she placed under her hips. Hiccup tore the foil square open, mindful not to tear the latex with his shaking fingers as he pinched the tip and rolled it down his cock. Astrid widened her legs for him to slot between when he rolled over on top of her, ignoring or uncaring of her own taste on his mouth as they kissed, her hips pressing up to his in invitation.

"Is this ok?"

She grinned when he turned her earlier words back on her, but she indulged his request for consent all the same and nodded, reaching down to guide him until Hiccup felt her body yielding to him, wet enough to let him slide in fully without resistance. Her arms wrapped around him, thighs settling around his hips as Hiccup pulled back a few inches before pressing back in, the feel and scent and _sound_ of her all intoxicating to him, almost overwhelming him.

Managing not to just come on the spot, Hiccup went slow at first to try and keep it that way, but Astrid's writhing and moaning urged him on, hands running down his back before gripping his ass again and pulling him closer still. It didn't really help him hold out, but he liked it too much to even dream of asking her to stop. Astrid's teeth nipped at his lower lip when they kissed again, eyes glittering with mischief when he met her gaze. He had a feeling he was in for a wild time with this woman, and Hiccup was all too thrilled with the prospect.

His slow thrusts soon quickened, Astrid's moans growing in volume and drowning out his own groans of pleasure. Her nails dug into his back, the little zips of pain sending fire through him, Astrid's hips moving to meet his thrusts. Her wish to come on his cock seemed to come true, her teeth sinking in to his shoulder as she shuddered beneath him, thighs a vice around his hips and her nails digging in harder. Glad he'd managed to hold out for her, Hiccup heard her murmur into his ear that he could finish, and the sight of Astrid in her post-orgasmic state was plenty of motivation to push him to his own end. His hips bucked in sloppy thrusts as he climaxed, letting his head rest in the crook of Astrid's neck as he waited for his heart to stop pounding so hard.

Gripping the base of the condom as he pulled out, Hiccup saw Astrid gesture toward her bedside before she told him there were wet wipes in the drawer too.

"I'm not moving."

She stretched, seeming to sink further in to the mattress with a lazy smile. Hiccup obtained the wipes, wrapping the condom in one and using another to clean himself up a bit before he offered the pack to Astrid. She did the same, tossing the packet and the wipe aside before reaching for him. He hadn't been sure if she'd be a cuddler, but he was quite happy to find out she was as Astrid rolled on to her side, head on his chest and an arm slung over his stomach. He let one arm rest around her shoulders, felt her trace idle shapes in the sweat drying on his skin.

Their relaxing afterglow was soon interrupted though, by the sound of a little paw scratching at the door followed by some indignant mewling sounds. Hiccup failed to suppress his amusement as Astrid groaned, shaking her head.

"Pain in the ass cat."

"Hey, she waited til we were done."

Astrid rolled her eyes at him as she sat up, stretching her arms up over her head. She raised an eyebrow when she caught him watching her, but said nothing as she got up off the bed. Hiccup was quietly a little proud of her slightly shaky legs, catching the heart-patterned boxers she tossed at him before she opened the door. Stormfly launched herself through the gap as soon as she could fit, and Hiccup barely got his boxers on before she'd clawed her way up on to the bed. Astrid had left the room - he presumed for the bathroom - and so Stormfly only had him to seek affection from. He happily indulged her, stroking her fluffy head and smiling as she purred. She was definitely the best wingman he'd ever had.

-HTTYD-

**Anyone who has ever written smutfics will surely know the frustration of your characters refusing to get on with it. Which is what happened here. Still, they managed in the end!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Spent some time catching up on my other fics, now back for another round of this!**

-HTTYD-

"Ugh, you are disgustingly besotted."

Heather commented as she stretched up to reach something from the top shelf - Astrid was going over to hers for dinner, and they were picking a few things up from the supermarket. And apparently, Astrid was talking about Hiccup a lot.

"I am not!"

"Oh, come on. You're _so_ smitten!"

Astrid rolled her eyes as they headed along the aisles, Heather jokingly pointing toward one in particular.

"Need anything for that cat you're definitely not keeping?"

"Shut up! You're as bad as Hiccup."

"Is he catsitting for you?"

"Yup. She's his problem for a few hours!"

Heather continued laughing, and it drove Astrid _mad_ because why did nobody believe she wasn't keeping the damn cat? Stormfly was about ready to rehome, according to her vet boyfriend, so Astrid resolved to begin looking for a forever home for the furry pain in her neck the next day.

"Speaking of - the boyfriend, not the cat - didn't you say you're meeting his mom soon?"

"Yep. She's only in the country a few times a year, this is the first time she's been back since we started dating."

"What does she _do?"_

Heather asked, confused.

"Uh. Animal conservation, mostly. Defending wildlife sanctuaries and reserves, helping protect and study endangered species, that sort of thing. Hiccup calls her a feral vigilante on the phone, and judging by some of the stories he's told me, that's sort of apt. Apparently she punched a guy in the face for saying 'it's just an animal'."

"Oh wow. I love her already."

The two women shared a laugh.

"Yeah. I hope she likes me. I mean, there's no reason she shouldn't, but I get the feeling her and Hiccup are cut from the same cloth and if I can't get on with his mom, that might end up being a dealbreaker."

"Huh. What does he say?"

"He's sure she'll love me. I guess I should trust his judgement. He knows his mom better than I do, after all. Oooh, chocolate doughnuts!"

Sidetracked by baked goods, Astrid excitedly bought a couple of packs, wholly intending to stuff her face and regret it when she felt awfully sick afterwards. They finished up their shop and headed back, and it was Heather's turn to be all goo-goo over her girlfriend, Atali. Astrid was happy her friend had found someone, and they had a joyous time eating way too much, drinking wine and talking romance with increasing incoherency before falling asleep in undignified positions on Heather's sofa.

Astrid woke with a stiff neck and a warm heart, and once Heather had made breakfast while Astrid made coffee, they were perked up and ready for the day. Feeling all the better for a proper catch up with her bestie, Astrid bade Heather farewell and headed home. She dropped off her stuff, showered and changed before heading over to Hiccup's place. As soon as he opened the door, a little pile of grey fur leapt through the gap and began yowling up at Astrid.

"Shh, you'll get us in trouble you little pest" she grumbled, leaning down to pick Stormfly up and carting her in to Hiccup's flat "hi, by the way."

Chuckling, Hiccup leant in to kiss her in greeting.

"Hey. Did you have fun on your night off?"

"You make it sound like we have kids."

"Well, we do. They just each have four legs and a tail. Well, Toothless is missing a bit of his."

Rolling her eyes, Astrid tried to pry Stormfly's claws out of her clean t-shirt.

"Thank you for watching her overnight. I dread to think what she'd have done to my place left unattended for so long."

"Hey, not a problem. We had a fun sleepover, didn't we? She did try and eat my hair, but then she curled up on the pillow and went to sleep. Toothless wasn't thrilled about sharing my bed with her, but he got over it. Did you have fun?"

"Mhmm. Heather had the audacity to say I was talking about you too much, when she was gushing about her girlfriend too!"

Hiccup chuckled, tickling Stormfly under the chin to distract her from reattaching herself to Astrid's clothes.

"My friends said the same, they're all certain you can't possibly be as amazing as I say you are. I reassured them that you are. My mom can't wait to meet you."

"Well, let's just hope I can impress your wild vigilante mother."

Hiccup grinned, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her temple.

"You have nothing to worry about."

* * *

"Hiccup!"

"Mom!"

She dashed right up and threw her arms around him, hugging Hiccup so tight he was briefly lifted off his feet. Tall and thin as she looked, his mother was fiercely strong (hefting all manner of creatures around did that to a person), and both were beaming when she put him back down. Strangers disembarking from the nearby coaches looked on confused, but they were paid little mind.

"Oh, I do miss you my son."

"Missed you too!"

They only saw each other a couple of times each year, and he missed her terribly, but he knew her work was vital and important and so he simply enjoyed the brief times she could make it back. He remembered he had not come alone, and gripped his mothers hand to tug her along.

"Come meet Astrid."

His girlfriend stood a little ways away, insisting he get to say hi to his mother properly before introducing her. She was smiling at the two, and Hiccup again appreciated that Astrid didn't find that he was close with his mother strange; he'd known people judge him for ending calls with her on a "love you", women he'd dated who were annoyed he'd drop pretty much whatever he was doing whenever his mother got a chance to call from all corners of the world.

"Mom, this is Astrid. Astrid, meet my mother, Valka."

Not really one for restrained greetings, his mother stepped right up and hugged a slightly-surprised Astrid. Being animal people made them a tactile bunch, he supposed.

"I've heard so much about you! All good, I promise. My son is quite taken with you."

"Mom!"

Hiccup whined, feeling like a teenager being embarassed in front of his prom date all of a sudden. Astrid laughed, tipping Valka a wink and a smile.

"So he should be, I'm quite the catch."

Placing a hand on her stomach, his mother laughed heartily and patted Astrid's shoulder before looking to Hiccup.

"Oh, I like her already. Come, let's not linger here all day."

"Right, right. Dad'll be wondering where we are!"

Showing off her own impressive strength, Astrid grabbed a hold of one of the bags and helped Hiccup move them to his car, and climbed in the back. He'd already warned her that Valka would need to sit in the front, as Hiccup had inherited his long, gangly limbs from her.

"Oh, is this the little rescue you told me about?"

His mother asked, spotting the extra cat carrier in the back seat.

"Yep. That's Stormfly. You wouldn't know she was a dirty, limping scrap of a thing when Astrid found her."

Twisting in her seat, Valka looked over at Astrid.

"Hiccup told me what you did. That was very sweet of you."

"Yeah, well, she's been nothing but a furry pain in the ass ever since."

Hiccup snickered; he was still _certain_ Astrid wouldn't rehome her. Stormfly was healthy enough to go somewhere new, he'd confirmed. And as a vet, he was pretty confident in that assessment.

They pulled up at his dad's place before long, and the door was thrown wide open to welcome them in before they'd even gotten down the front path. Though they were divorced for a good few years by then, the two were still good friends and when he heard Valka was coming back, Stoick had insisted upon them going over for dinner at his place. Hiccup had already introduced Astrid to his father and honorary uncle Gobber by then, and they were perfectly happy with Hiccup's choice in girlfriend too.

Stormfly was thrilled to have somewhere new to stalk around like she owned the place, while Toothless was used to visiting and went right to his usual spot on the windowsill, basking in the sunlight after getting some tuna from Gobber. Hiccup hugged his dad and Gobber, then directed Astrid to a seat while he went to check his dad hadn't cremated any of the food (he had a habit of getting impatient and turning the oven up to cook things quicker, which often led to burnt dinners).

Hiccup wasn't the least bit surprised Stormfly adored his mother immediately, and the feeling was entirely mutual. She had a gift with animals, and sat stroking a purring Stormfly as she regaled them with tales of animal antics and arguments with humans. Much like Hiccup, she wasn't prone to tan, but had even more freckles than when she'd left which told that she'd been somewhere far sunnier than the UK.

Dinner soon demanded to be eaten, and Hiccup felt utterly at home amongst them all - family meal times were a favourite of his, and he was _thrilled_ by how easily Astrid fitted in there, chatting with his parents and Gobber, cracking jokes and getting up to help clear the table without prompting. Then managing to out-glare his dad when Stoick tried to insist she didn't need to help.

"It's my mess too, and you guys cooked! Now shoo or I'll flick washing up liquid at you."

Astrid insisted, and Hiccup gave his dad a grin and a shrug. He'd already learnt not to argue with Astrid about sharing household chores and cleaning up. The only thing she'd _happily_ let him do for her was cleaning out cat litter trays. Chortling, his dad nodded.

"Alright, fair enough."

Astrid washed and Hiccup dried, since he knew where stuff was meant to go after. He could hear the older grown-ups chatting in the living room, and basked in that sense of family and home, smiling every time he caught Astrid's eye.

After dinner treats and wine - with soft drinks for Hiccup, since he was driving - loosened everyone up even more, and they were soon all in fits of laughter. Well, everyone else was, Hiccup was sometimes laughing and sometimes wanting to hide his face as his parents pulled out all the embarassing stories of his childhood and teenage years.

"So, Hiccup said you had a pet owl?"

With a wistful sigh as she remembered her companion who'd died a couple of years back, Valka nodded.

"Oh, I did. He was a big boy, Cloudjumper. At one point, he came up to Hiccup's middle. Someone brought him in with a wing injury, I treated him and set him free once I was sure he was recovered, and a night or so after that he turned up at the house. Unfortunately, he'd found Hiccup's window, not mine, and a boy doesn't expect a great horned owl outside their window, hooting quite loudly."

His dad laughed, nodding in agreement with his ex-wife.

"Aye, he screamed the house down! Lucky we didn't have neighbours!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, cus they'd have called the police when a freaking enormous owl started trying to break in. Ah, I miss Cloudjumper. Cats are good, but you will _never_ have a mouse problem with a pet owl!"

Despite being something of the butt of the jokes, Hiccup didn't _really_ mind. For one, Astrid was holding his hand and sitting nice and close to him, which made him warm and happy. And secondly, he was even happier watching her bond with his family. A few cringe-worthy anecdotes were definitely worth that.

As his mother was staying at his dad's place that night (given how often she was away, it seemed pointless for her to pay rent on a place she'd never be in and his dad had a spare room he was happy to let her stay in), when dinner and dessert and laughing so hard his sides ached were all done with, Hiccup hugged his parents and Gobber goodbye. They each hugged Astrid too, and the young couple left hand in hand to walk over to Hiccup's car, cats wrangled in to their carriers to take them home. Astrid turned to him once they were in the car, smiling.

"I had a lot of fun tonight. And I think they like me!"

Hiccup nodded, leaning over to kiss her with a smile of his own.

"See? I told you you had nothing to worry about."

-HTTYD-

**Giant owl turning up looking for Valka like "hoot hoot motherfucker I live here now" is exactly what would happen if they lived in modern times and we all know it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sleepy Hark is sleepy, but trying to sleep has failed and it's the right time of year for this.**

-HTTYD-

When Hiccup first told her he didn't celebrate Christmas, Astrid was a bit surprised. But he'd elaborated that his dad's side of the family were Viking-descended, and had held on to their Pagan traditions as much as possible. So when he invited her along to his family Yule celebrations, Astrid agreed happily. He also agreed to do the Christmas visit to her family - Yule was earlier than Christmas, so they wouldn't clash.

"I just sort of... forgot that not everyone celebrates."

Hiccup frowned lightly, but rather than get upset with her, he continued to explain.

"Well, yeah. Most people who are... Jewish, or Muslim for example, don't celebrate either. And some people just aren't into it, which is also fine. For us, it's that Christmas... isn't _our_ celebration? Although a lot of the traditions are stolen, but we've pretty much let that go. Our food is better anyway."

Astrid laughed at Hiccup's little smug smile. While she hadn't yet gone to said celebration, she _had_ been in Hiccup's flat while he was cooking his contribution to the pot-luck style celebrations, and it did smell _awesome._

"Here, try these for me?"

He asked, and placed down a plate with a dozen biscuits. Some were round and covered in orange icing, while others were dark, crescent shaped and covered in white icing.

"What are these?"

"Sun and moon cookies. Yule is about celebrating the winter solstice, which is where the long nights begin to lift and we expect more sunshine. We're halfway out of the dark."

"Ah, ok."

Astrid got stuck in happily, and they were both delicious. The sun cookies were bursting with sharp, citrus-y flavours, the icing just sweet enough to take the edge off. The moon cookies were rich and decadent, and she gave a big thumbs up for each of them to her boyfriend, then chased Stormfly away from trying to steal one.

"Mine! Not for kitties."

Hiccup chuckled behind her, distracting Stormfly with a few kitten-friendly treats.

"So you like them?"

"Mhmm."

Hiccup also had spiced cider and a smaller version of the big roast he'd be taking for them to have for dinner that evening, so Astrid would have an idea of what food she did and didn't like when they went over to his great-aunts for Yule. Every single thing he presented to her was delicious, and when Hiccup joked that some of his family probably only stuck with the Pagan traditions because of the awesome food, Astrid laughed.

"I could see why. Oooh, what are those?"

"A couple each of small honeycakes, caraway cakes and edible yule logs. Try the caraway one first, that's the one not everyone tends to like."

Astrid was not one of those people, and though she was absolutely _stuffed,_ she was also entirely satisfied and it was totally worth it for all the tasty treats Hiccup had presented her with. He was happy too, judging by the smile on his face as they snuggled up on the sofa together, Toothless and Stormfly immediately searching for comfy, warm spots to burrow in to to join in. Though still distinctly 'kitten' as far as Astrid was concerned, Stormfly had begun losing her baby teeth over the previous month, and so Hiccup's expert opinion was that she was well on her way to adulthood.

"What should I make for visiting your family? Mince pies? Gingerbread? A pine cone?"

She half-considered telling him not to make anything, but Astrid had already worked out Hiccup expressed his affection with food a lot, and didn't want to deny him that opportunity when they were going to see her family.

"Up to you. They tend to bulk buy mince pies by the tonne though, so that might be a waste of time."

Hiccup chuckled.

"Gingerbread it is then. I even have some Christmas cookie cutters somewhere, cus most of the people at my workplace celebrate Christmas too and I usually make something for them."

"You're so sweet."

Hiccup smiled, and Astrid leant up to kiss him because he was so very adorable. They settled back down for the evening, and Hiccup spent a few minutes checking everything was packed into boxes in the fridge, ready to take with them the following day, before he and Astrid retired to bed. They spent at least three or four nights a week sleeping over at each others place by then. Usually Hiccup's, because he often cooked dinner and preferred his own kitchen, but if Astrid had to be up for work earlier than him the next day, they'd stay at hers so she could get up and ready quicker.

His bed was _so_ comfy though. Astrid didn't find nights at Hiccup's place a hardship. Except when he woke up bright and early, and dragged Astrid awake with him. Morning person, she was not.

"C'mon, you said you wanted to go running this morning and you get up early for that."

Astrid grumbled, but reluctantly left the cosy, warm cocoon of bed. Hiccup leant against his pillow and grinned, obviously intended to watch Astrid change into her running gear before he got up that morning. She rolled her eyes, went to the bathroom and then came back to give her ridiculous boyfriend the show he was hoping for. It wasn't as interesting as it would be in summer, except when she was effectively naked mid-change, since it was late December and Astrid would have frozen off a tit or something if she went out just in her little running top and shorts.

"You want eggs or a protein shake waiting when you come back?"

"Uh, eggs. And coffee, pleeeeease?"

Hiccup chuckled, and nodded.

"You know I'm happy to provide caffeine. Now get going."

"Wanna get rid of me?"

Astrid teased, tightening a loose lace on her running shoes. Hiccup winked.

"The sooner you go, the sooner you're back."

She headed over to peck a kiss on his stupidly cute face, then turned dodged Stormfly's attempts to get her claws into Astrid's clothes and left for her jog. It was pretty damn _brisk_ outside, early on the winter solstice morning. Astrid did her warm up quickly, then got moving properly so she would actually warm up. As she jogged, she thought about what Hiccup had said about the solstice, and smiled at the sun coming up. Halfway out of the dark, as Hiccup had said.

By the time she got back, Hiccup was clearly just out of the shower, and promised to have coffee and breakfast waiting when Astrid was done cleaning up. She guzzled a glass of water down too quickly, letting out a little hiccup that made both she and Hiccup crack up laughing. By the time she had a full belly and was enjoying a second cup of coffee, Astrid had entirely forgiven him for waking her up so early.

They only had a light lunch that day, because Hiccup pointed out there was going to be a _ridiculous_ amount of food at the get-together that day, and Astrid already knew it was all likely to be very, very tasty. She was a _little_ nervous about it, if she was honest. Astrid openly admitted she was probably woefully uneducated in religions and faiths other than Christianity, and even that was just from learning at school, and she worried she'd appear ignorant to members of Hiccup's family that she'd never even met before that night.

"Am I gonna make people mad by not being clued up on Paganism?"

"Uh... no. Just avoid asking anyone why they don't celebrate Christmas, and don't argue if they say pagans did something first. But really, they're all good people, and they'll clock right away you're a little clueless and be nice. Except maybe my cousin Scott, but you can just shove the nearest food in his mouth to shut him up. Everybody else does."

Hiccup reassured her, and Astrid smiled, then let out a laugh at his comment about his cousin.

"I'll be sure to remember that."

She was still a little nervous, but Hiccup seemed _thrilled_ that Astrid was going with him, and his happy mood was quite infectious. It was even worth knowing Stormfly was probably going to have trashed her flat in revenge for being left alone for hours, but she'd have been like a one-cat destruction team if they'd brought her along to where Hiccup told her food would be laid out for everyone to help themselves.

"Hiccup!"

His dad's voice cut through all the nearby din as they got out of the car at the other end, and Astrid was greeted just as warmly by the big Scottish man, who was clearly already a couple of pints deep on spiced cider and even more affectionate for it.

"Hey dad."

"Hey Stoick."

"Glad to see ya joinin' us! Lemme help you get those in, everyone's waitin' for your famous moon cookies."

Hiccup chuckled and handed a box to his dad, and Astrid suddenly realised why he'd actually baked over a _hundred_ of the things yesterday when she saw at least two dozen family members scattered through the house and garden beyond, all apparently anxiously anticipating said biscuits.

"Hiccup's here!"

"Did he bring cookies?"

"Shut up Scott!"

Astrid laughed at the rather chaotic, exuberant way the family responded to Hiccup, some taking boxes from their hands and others grabbing Hiccup in hugs, ruffling hair and laughing happily. It took them a minute to even notice Astrid was there.

"Whoa, Hiccup, who's the blonde bombshell?"

One commented, followed by who Astrid had already clocked was the Scott she'd been forewarned about.

"Yeah cuz, did you have to hire a date rather than show up alone to Yule again?"

"Did you bring a date?"

Astrid asked, and Scott's cheeks coloured.

"N-no! I couldn't possibly have picked from all the girls clamouring for my attention!"

"Sure. And no, Hiccup didn't _hire_ me. I turned up at his door with a cat and then decided to keep him."

Hiccup snickered, closing the gap between them and wrapping his arm around her. Astrid leant in to him happily, and everyone nearby except Scott made 'awwww' noises at the two of them. Several were already clutching half-eaten cookies, and as soon as Valka spotted the two of them, she headed over to hug the two herself. Stoick handed Astrid a mug of spiced cider that smelled _amazing,_ and someone wolf-whistled before pointing up above their heads.

"Is that mistletoe?"

"Oh. Yeah. Another old tradition that sort of bled into Christmas over time."

He leant down and kissed her with a smile, and then the two were simply absorbed in to the festivities. There wasn't so much a sit-down meal as there was three huge tables groaning under plates and tubs of roasted meats and an assortment of vegetables, bowls of seeds and nuts and spiced fruit, platters of cookies and honeycakes and little home-made pork pies, and it seemed everyone just went to grab what they wanted and found somewhere to sit. Quite often, that somewhere was the floor. Hiccup did his best to introduce her to everybody that was there, but after three big cups of spiced cider, Astrid was quite sure she was a liiiittle bit tipsy and that she'd forget several of the names she learnt that night.

"This is soooo much better than mulled wine. I want to drink this allllll year round."

Hiccup chuckled, kissing her hair as he gave her a one armed hug, his other hand holding a chunk of roasted pork he was kind enough not to rub all over her clothes. As the evening wore on, Astrid realised she hadn't been made to feel out of place at all, and anything she was confused on, Hiccup quietly whispered an explanation of in her ear. Everyone began to filter outside when the sky was dark, and Hiccup gestured for them to follow.

"Where are we going?"

"Yule log burning. It's tradition you save at least part of a log from last year and use it in this year's fire, and it's meant to be good luck if that part doesn't go out until the whole fire is out. After a while it's sort of hard to tell, but nothing bad has happened yet so I think we're good."

Everyone crowded around (at a safe enough distance, considering some of them had obviously indulged in the cider like Astrid had and nobody wanted to fall in), talking quietly and holding hands with loved ones. Hiccup took her hand, and Astrid turned to look up at him, feeling her heart flutter in her chest.

"I love you."

Astrid found it came naturally, skin warmed by the Yule log burning nearby and heart warmed by the welcoming, happy atmosphere of Hiccup's family all around them. Hiccup's smile was radiant, and he cupped her jaw as he kissed her soundly.

"I love you too."

As they embraced, Astrid was pretty sure she heard him say _"best Yule ever",_ which only made her smile more.

-HTTYD-

**I personally don't celebrate Christmas. I don't celebrate Yule either, but I definitely find writing characters enjoying Yule more fun.**


	6. Chapter 6

**And now we reach the final chapter! I hope it's been a fun trip for everyone so far.**

-HTTYD-

Hiccup wiped sweat off his face before he finished taping up the box he was working on. Moving in with Astrid, while a particularly wonderful thought and future prospect, meant a lot of work. Mostly moving all his text books and equipment, but also all his kitchen gear (which he had a fair bit of, as a keen cook). Plus, with the two of them both being cat owners (no matter how much Astrid _still_ denied it), they had a whole bunch of cat stuff that needed it's own box.

He was going to miss the block of flats - it had been a nice home for a while, but with their combined incomes, it meant they could afford a place of their own. Which meant more privacy and more space, though it wasn't a huge house they were moving to, and it was somewhere they could really make their own. Plus, Hiccup was a real homebody, and the whole notion of 'settling down' with someone he loved (and gods did he love Astrid) made him very happy indeed.

 _And_ it meant nobody to risk getting in trouble with whenever he brought home an animal in need of a little TLC. Astrid thankfully was on board with that, though she'd told him in no uncertain terms he was responsible for cleaning up after any of his little 'rescue projects', as she called them. Which Hiccup thought was totally fair, and he was totally fine with anyway. He'd be doing it if they didn't live together.

Said girlfriend appeared at his door, dressed in a t-shirt she'd stolen from him (Astrid was a serial clothes-thief!) and some baggy shorts, hair shoved up out of the way and Hiccup still thought she was utterly gorgeous to look at.

"Hey. Just came to see how you're getting on. I'm about done and the truck will be here in half an hour."

"I'm almost done too. Stormfly in her carrier?"

"Yep, and she is _not_ happy about it."

Toothless wasn't yet caged up for the trip, but he helpfully stayed out of the way of packing while Stormfly had kept trying to get in the boxes and steal the rolls of packing tape, and so Astrid had had to lock her in kitty-jail to get finished up.

"I'm sure she'll be happier the other end when she can have the run of the house."

Hiccup didn't comment about how the 'temporary' care of Stormfly was looking more and more permanent, and Astrid volunteered nothing herself. He pointed to the fridge, where he'd pre-made some lunch for the two of them since they'd have precious little time for eating while moving and then they'd have to unpack at the other end. Astrid kissed him in thanks, seeming not to mind at all that he was sweaty. Then again, she often had him working up a sweat...

"Oooh, turkey and cheese, my favourite!"

He smiled.

"Of course."

It earned him one of her wonderful, beaming smiles, the ones that made Hiccup's heart flutter happily in his chest. He always felt so lucky to be on the recieving end of so many of those beautiful smiles. They sat to eat their food, and Astrid hummed happily as she chewed, giving Hiccup a thumbs up when he looked over.

"Good?"

He asked between mouthfuls, and Astrid nodded vigorously. Hiccup smiled, and they finished up in comfortable silence.

"I'm gonna go let the pest out so she can eat and see if she needs to go before the trip while you finish the last of your packing."

"Alright. Go ahead, I'll clean up."

"You sure?"

He nodded, and Astrid pecked a kiss on his lips as she left that left Hiccup grinning like an idiot. Oh, he loved her so. After washing up their lunch mess quickly, Hiccup resumed packing the last of his things in to boxes, and was done with ten minutes to spare. Toothless growled and grumbled as he was herded into his carrier, and Hiccup apologised.

"I know bud, but it's only for a little while so we can move and then you'll have so much more space! And even some stairs to climb. Cats like high places. Here, have a nip toy."

There were still grumbles, but Hiccup figured the catnip would relax him (Stormfly was now old enough for catnip too, and he'd given Astrid something with it in too to help pacify her own cat). He turned around and flicked his stubby tail, effectively turning his back on Hiccup in retaliation. Chuckling at his pets antics, Hiccup lifted the carrier up on top of one of the stacks of boxes and perched on a stool to wait for Astrid. She re-appeared after a few more minutes, cat carrier in her hand and a very unhappy Stormfly sulking within.

"I was gonna go wait outside for the truck, figured you wouldn't mind making sure she doesn't figure out how to escape."

Hiccup laughed, and nodded.

"I'd be happy to. I wouldn't put it past her. I've seen some Houdini cats in my time."

She smiled, kissed him and headed outside to ensure the movers could get in as soon as they arrived. Moving trucks weren't cheap, he knew, but he felt it was well worth it for having a few burly people turning up to help move all those boxes down the stairs, and not having to make multiple trips with smaller vehicles. Once the movers arrived, Hiccup tried not to get distracted watching Astrid flex her muscles as she helped move boxes. She was _very_ strong, and he rather loved it.

In a much shorter time than it would have taken if it was just Astrid and Hiccup, their packed-up lives were moved down to the truck. Astrid popped back to leave her key behind, and Hiccup laid his own down on the side before they left for the final time, doors locking themselves behind them.

With cat carriers wedged on their laps for the drive, Hiccup felt Astrid take his hand as they set off. It wasn't terribly far away - they both still had commutes to work to consider, after all - and so it wasn't really a long trip, but he was still grinning as they got out and looked up at the house they'd be sharing. Astrid turned to him, sharing his smile.

"Home sweet home."

* * *

As much as Astrid hated moving, it had definitely been well worth it. All that packing and unpacking had been a _drag,_ but as she wandered around their new place, taking it all in, she felt _awesome._ Hiccup, more comfortable showing his Pagan roots openly ever since Astrid had joined him for his family's Yule celebration, had put fresh flowers in most rooms (Astrid wasn't big on flowers, but they looked nice enough and they made Hiccup very happy), and there was an interesting... wheel? Round calendar? type thing over the fireplace, which displayed the times of year and the holidays associated. She was learning; Hiccup didn't pressure her to get involved more than she was comfortable, but he was always happy to explain and talk her through it, and she liked to make him happy.

She found her boyfriend in the kitchen, cooking and shooing away two very nosy furballs from his legs. He turned toward her when Astrid walked in, offering her one of his adorably crooked smiles in greeting. Their new kitchen was bigger than the one in his flat, so Hiccup was thrilled, looking quite at home once he'd set it all up how he liked.

"Hey."

"Hey. Just been looking around. Still getting used to it."

"Me too. In a good way though. I love living with you."

Astrid couldn't help but grin at that; he was _so_ sweet, and it was as adorable as his smiles. He turned back and chided Stormfly, who'd thought she was going to get close enough that time. Astrid crossed the room and scooped the grey cat up, dumping her outside the kitchen and closing the door.

"If you can't behave, you can't come in!"

Stormfly scratched at the door and yowled in complaint at being denied access to the tasty smells and foods. Toothless, keen not to get kicked out too, made himself scarce and Astrid wiped the sides clean where Stormfly had jumped up just then.

"Need any help?"

"You could lay the table?"

While Astrid expected they'd still be plates-on-laps-watching-TV some nights, they did now have the space for a proper table. Hiccup had already put candles on it to light, and it definitely made putting everything out easier.

"Glasses?"

"If you want wine, sure. I can take or leave it."

Astrid retrieved the bottle from the fridge and a couple of glasses; neither were heavy drinkers (Astrid's occasional nights at Heather's drinking too much aside) but she felt it was a nice addition their first proper dinner in the new place. She filled some glasses with water too, and then put plates down near the cooker so Hiccup could dish the food up. There was already cake in the fridge, because of _course_ Hiccup had to test the new oven out by baking earlier, after having spent the last couple of days living off take-out and sandwiches while they unpacked.

"You wanna put down some cat food while I plate up?"

"Sure."

Toothless was exclusively on a soft diet, while Stormfly got a mixed diet, but Astrid couldn't be bothered with getting two seperate cat foods out of the cupboard and dumped wet food in both bowls. It meant Stormfly meowing louder from outside the door, while Toothless slunk around her legs, purring in an attempt to convince her to put the bowls down quicker. She headed over to the cat corner and placed them down, then opened the door and allowed a grey blur to barrel past her toward the food.

Hiccup was done by the time Astrid washed her hands, and they moved to the table, Astrid pouring out wine while Hiccup lit the candles and dimmed the kitchen lights. She sat down and looked at him, gorgeous in the candlelight as he smiled over at her. After a minute, he picked up his glass and held it out to her. Chuckling, Astrid obligingly toasted him.

"Dork."

"Yeah, but I'm your dork. You're stuck with me now, I have the paperwork to prove it!"

Astrid cracked up laughing at his expression, putting her glass down so she'd not spill it.

"Idiot. I love you."

Hiccup lit up even more.

"I love you too. Now eat up before it gets cold."

Astrid dug in; it was delicious as Hiccup's cooking always was, and she enjoyed the meal as thoroughly as she did the setting and the company. Satisfied by their own hearty portions, the cats left them in peace in favour of going to find somewhere to lie down and sleep off their own dinner.

"Dessert?"

"Yeah, but not too much. I have plans for you later that involve not being too full to move."

Hiccup snickered, and Astrid knew by the way he bit his lip he was suppressing some kind of inappropriate joke. He served them both a slice of cake that went well with the rest of the wine, before they cleared everything in to the dishwasher. Hiccup washed the wine glasses while Astrid wiped down the table and put out the candles, and the two headed out to curl up on the sofa together. She burrowed into his arms happily, content to lean on his chest with his hand toying idly with her hair. They talked only long enough to find something to watch, then settled into comfortable silence again, dinner settling while Toothless and Stormfly napped together on the seat of the armchair. Hiccup broke the silence during an ad break, first with a chuckle as the cats spotted their cuddles and invited themselves in to it.

"Hey, Astrid, I wanna ask you something."

Bemused, Astrid twisted her head to look up at him.

"What?"

Hiccup turned to meet her gaze properly, and she noticed those lovely green eyes were glittering with mischief.

"Will you finally admit that you're keeping Stormfly?"

-HTTYD-

**Astrid: "Absolutely not."**

**Stormfly: *jumps up on to her shoulders and purrs***

**Astrid: *grumbles* "Ok, maybe."**


End file.
